MAJOR CHANGES have been announced by Bishop Bill Murphy of Kerry to accommodate retirements among long-serving clergy and a continuing lack of vocations in the diocese.
There are now 10 fewer priests in the 53-parish diocese, which encompasses parts of west and north Cork, than two years ago. Just one seminarian is studying for the priesthood.
Administrators instead of parish priests have been appointed to some parishes, an indication that clustering is to take place, diocesan secretary Fr George Hayes explained. Parishes such as Killarney are to lose a priest.
No parish has been left without a resident priest, he emphasised.
He said an administrator differed from a parish priest in terms of the length of time he was expected to stay in a parish.
Meanwhile, after a gap of more than 50 years, a Methodist minister yesterday took up residence in Killarney, Co Kerry, to accommodate the increased church attendance among locals and immigrants in the south of the county.
The Rev Laurence Graham will live in Killarney with his wife Karen and two young children.
Mr Graham was previously based in Cork and will also have responsibility for Kenmare, where Methodism has also revived after almost a century. Two hundred years ago the Methodist faith thrived in Co Kerry after the arrival of a number of Irish-speaking evangelist preachers.
However, with emigration in the 20th century, it declined rapidly. Churches in Tralee, Killorglin and Kenmare were sold off and only the church in central Killarney remained to accommodate tourists during July and August.
In recent years, particularly with the arrival of refugees, the Killarney church has been extended.
In the changes to the Catholic diocese, administrators have been appointed in Kilgarvan and the south of the county, Allihies, on the Beara peninsula, Castlegregory in west Kerry and Tarbert in the north of the diocese. Two priests are returning from the US to minister in the latter two parishes.
Four long-serving priests are retiring, it was announced. These include three parish priests: Canon Denis O’Mahony, Castleisland; Fr Lawrence Kelly, Kilgarvan; and Fr John Kennelly, Causeway; as well as Fr Michael Maher, Ballylongford.
Killarney’s Canon Declan O’Connor is moving to Millstreet and Tralee’s Msgr Dan O’Riordan is to become parish priest of Castleisland.